Saturday, 30 August 2008

Paul & Joe's Inspiree collection was finally launched in Singapore at Isetan Scotts yesterday and I couldn't resist picking up most of the collection, especially since there was some great GWPs being offered at the same time. With purchase of $130, you can get a makeup pouch with 5 skincare samples and a Protective Dual Powder Foundation UV sample in #30. The SA also threw in a couple of foundation primer samples.

I really liked the prints in this collection (which are much prettier than some of the prints in recent collections like the black and orange cat print or the red print with weird faces) so I was looking very much forward to getting the tote bag and makeup pouch. I don't really care that much for Paul & Joe skincare and already have a ton of deluxe samples from my previous purchases but I just had to have the tote bag and pouch, which I know I will be using a lot!

After seeing the new Collection Sparkles face colors and lipsticks in the Japanese beauty magazines, I knew that I wanted to get most of them. When I finally saw them in person, they did not disappoint. Instead of trying to be trendy or edgy with the latest colours in fashion, Paul & Joe always goes for more classically feminine, soft pretty shades and this collection was no exception. The lipsticks were sheer and very natural when applied. For example, although #58 Muse looks like a muddy dark brown in the tube, when applied it is actually more of a slightly pinky-toned brown that would be suitable for most skintones. At S$39 each, the lipsticks are pricier than many other brands but the unique prints make them worth every penny. The only drawback is that being made of cardboard, I would recommend using a lipstick case to tote these around to prevent them from being crushed or stained.

The small makeup pouch that comes with purchases of S$130. I like the soft, cushiony material!

The matching tote bag that comes with purchases of S$160. This can be folded up into a much smaller size that is great for stashing away in your luggage on trips.

The Collection Sparkles!

I got all three of the new Facecolor Powder CS N in #58 Pressed Petals (purple & beige frost), #59 Atelier (dark brown and turquoise blue) and #60 Lullaby (pink brown & white pink). These retail for S$37 each. The shades are your typical Paul & Joe shades, very soft, feminine and pretty with a fine shimmer that is elegant and not over the top. They apply sheer at first but can be easily layered for greater intensity. These can be used either as eyeshadow or as highlighting powders on the cheeks.

Lipstick C #60 Inspiree: sheer natural pink

Lipstick C #58 Muse: sheer chic natural brown

Did you get anything from this collection? If so, do share your thoughts!

Wednesday, 27 August 2008

Paul & Joe will launch the fall '08 collection, Inspiree, on 29 August exclusively at Isetan Scotts (until 4 September, after which the collection should arrive at other counters) in Singapore. As usual, Paul & Joe will be offering GWPs featuring a new pouch and tote bag with one of the new Collection Sparkles print, which looks absolutely gorgeous! With purchase of $130, you can get a 7-piece gift set featuring the usual assortment of deluxe skincare and foundation samples and you can get the tote bag with purchase of $160. There is also a makeup event from 29-30 August at 12pm to 8pm, by appointment only.

The October issues of Spring and Biteki magazines both come with P&J collectibles. Both issues are already sold out at Kinokuniya in Ngee Ann City but they are probably bringing in more copies in the sea shipment.

Gransenbon launched its fall collection, Sweet Dolce on 22 August in Japan. There are two new shades of it popular Gran Blush, #13 Cherry Fromage and #14 Maple Nuts (1890yen each). However, Gransenbon has also discontinued another two shades, #6 Doll Pink and #7 Blossom Pink. Unfortunately, those are the two shades that I failed to get during my trip to Tokyo in June... sigh.
I find it hard to fathom why Gransenbon discontinued the most unique and exceptional shades in its blush range, such as #8 Pretty Orange which was discontinued earlier this year. Nevertheless, it'll be interesting to check out #14 Maple Nuts which is the first brown-toned blush that Gransenbon has put out. I'm putting both #13 and #14 on my next shopping list!

The collection also includes Maxi Glossy Essence (1470yen) which is a pale pink, berry-scented lip balm, formulated with macadamia nut oil, hyaluronic acid and honey.

Here are the pics of Gransenbon's blushes, including several discontinued shades.

Sunday, 24 August 2008

Check out the revamped Esprique Preciouswebsite featuring new spokesmodel Karen Elson. When Esprique Precious was first launched with doll-faced Gemma Ward as the spokesmodel, the brand was trying to appeal to the 'kawaii' (which means 'cute' or 'adorable') psyche of Japanese women. The brand's tagline was "Otona but kawaii" which means "adult but cute". It sounds like a contradiction but if you've ever spent some time in Japan and heard how some Japanese ladies speak in very high-pitched child-like voices, you'll understand.

But with 29-year-old Elson and the new white, rhinestone-studded packaging, it looks like Esprique Precious is making a brand image shift towards a more elegant, classy look that one would expect more from RMK or Lunasol. The four looks shown on Elson demonstrate what an incredible versatile model she is and I hope Esprique Precious will use her for a few more years to come. She's not the typical blonde blue-eyed babe but she has a sensual womanly allure that is quite different from Ward's fresh-faced babe-in-the-woods appeal.

Jill Stuart will release a new Pure Lasting Makeup Base (3150yen, 25g) on 12 September in Japan. Formulated with almond oil and rose extract for deep moisturising benefits and 'lasting fit silicone', it gives skin a soft-focus finish to reduce the appearance of pores and acts as a primer for the smoother application of foundation and also helps foundation to last longer. It also has pure pink pearl and pure crystal powder for a translucent, natural glowy finish. It also has Jill Stuart's usual 'crystal floral bouquet' aroma and SPF15 PA++ for sun protection.

There will also be a limited edition foundation kit with a choice of either Smooth Silk Foundation or Powder Foundation refill, the full size Pure Lasting Makeup Base and and pouch for 6825yen. The kit does not include the foundation case, which has to be purchased separately.

Jill Stuart will also be opening two new counters in Daimaru department store in Sapporo (27 Aug) and Takashimaya department store in Kashiwa city, Chiba (3 Sep), which will have a special GWP of a pink pouch with purchases of 7350yen for their opening. Looks sweet!

I was at Bugis Junction today to attend the Laneige cocktail party/makeup demonstration for the launch of the new limited edition fall Snow Magic color collection. A Korean male MA demonstrated how to create two looks using the new palettes, one that was more natural and a more intense, smokey eye look that was perfect for a night out.

While his makeup skills were excellent, the palettes were just not special or unique enough when I swatched them to justify the price. I tend to prefer more colourful, dramatic shimmery shades and the Laneige palettes were more geared towards creating a light, natural look. I liked the nifty packaging but not the shades, which turned out to be quite boring. The blush and highlighter palette was S$62 while the eyeshadow trios were about S$47 each and the face powder quad was around S$52. The 20% discount did not apply to the new collection but only for Laneige's regular range so I eventually left without buying anything.

I also checked out the new fall collections from other brands and was much more impressed with the great quality and lovely colors from brands that don't usually catch my eye. One example is Yves Saint Laurent's new eyeshadow quints, Ombres 5 Lumieres. Under the counter lights, these were twinkling ever so merrily which made them incredibly difficult to resist! Several of the shades had a very pretty micro shimmer and the texture was excellent, silky, smooth and very pigmented. These cost a hefty S$89, which beats out Dior and Chanel. My favourite was #2 Indian Pink, just for the pinky plum shade in the top left corner of the palette. #3 Tawny is also excellent if you like shimmery browns and beiges.

If you're looking for shimmery pink blushes/highlighter, I would recommend Maquillage's new Design Cheek Colours, which come in a peachy variation (#79) and a sweet pink variation (#80). Of the two, I really liked #80 but since I already have a ton of shimmery pink blushes, I passed on it for now. The good news is that it is not limited edition. It retails for $63 (inclusive of the case) or $45 (for the blush refill alone).

I also checked out MAC's Starflash collection, which has been getting plenty of raves on Makeupalley but frankly, I felt it was just kind of meh. Compared to the usual quality of MAC's eyeshadows, it is definitely an improvement but there are many other brands that have been producing eyeshadows with that so-silky-it-feels-like-creamy-butter texture (e.g. Shu Uemura, Lunasol, Awake, Kesalan Patharan to name a few) for quite awhile now. It was about time that MAC caught up! MAC could also have done a much better job of putting more unique shades into this collection. The palette of shades just looked tired and uninspired. Even Clarins' Jazzy Colors quads looked more interesting!

The only collection that I'm still waiting for to launch in Singapore is Paul & Joe's Inspiree collection, which according to the SA should reach the counters next week. Can't wait! :-)

And it wasn't a totally fruitless day as I came home with this polka-dotted top and vest from River Island, plus a dress from GG<5.

Check out this new plumping lipgloss in a lollipop-shaped tube from Love Clover! Due out on 9 October in Japan, this will retail for 1260yen and it will be available in three shades. It contains honey collagen and apparently has a non-sticky texture.

Wednesday, 13 August 2008

Lash Gorgeous Wing is Majolica Majorca's latest mascara that was released as part of the "A Girl with Wings" Fall '08 collection. Unlike MM's other mascaras which come with a comb-type applicator, Lash Gorgeous Wing features the more standard brush applicator. It also promises long, lush feathery lashes with its fibre-packed waterproof formula.

I've only tried MM's Lash Enamel Glamour Neo previously and in comparison, Lash Gorgeous Wing has greater lengthening effect and is much less prone to clumping than Lash Enamel Glamour Neo (for which I blame the comb-type applicator). The mascara is the usual jet black formula that is typical of MM's mascaras. It doesn't add that much volume but it does hold the curl in my lashes quite well. The waterproof formula means that you will need a good waterproof makeup remover to get this off thoroughly (I use a cleansing oil). One also needs to be careful not to smudge this on the skin around the eyes as it can be a bit of a pain to remove unlike non-waterproof mascaras which can be easily wiped away with a damp tissue.

For me, the biggest negative aspect is, surprisingly, the fibres. The short fibres, which are about 2-3mm long, have an annoying tendency of falling in between my lashes along the lashline where it can be difficult to remove them and there's the danger that they can get caught under the eyelid and cause an irritation. That's my biggest peeve about fibre-based mascaras. The feeling of having a fibre caught under my eyelid for a whole day is quite unpleasant and irritating. I had to be very careful when applying Lash Gorgeous Wing and it took much longer than compared to non-fibre based mascaras as I spent a lot of time trying to remove the stray fibres.

My advice is to apply Lash Gorgeous Wing without using a finger to push up your eyelid so that you don't apply this too close to your lashline where there is the danger of the fibres falling into your eyes . Instead, just apply the mascara concentrating on middle of the lashes to the tips as that still gives you the nice lengthening effect.

Overall, Lash Gorgeous Wing does a great job of adding definition and length, plus it stays put without flaking or smudging. But the big drawback is the troublesome fibres. For that reason, I will not be re-purchasing this as I prefer non-fibre based mascaras such as Opera MyLash. Lash Gorgeous Wing costs the same (1260yen) as Opera MyLash but the latter is much easier to use and also gentler on the lashes as it can be removed with just warm water.

Tuesday, 12 August 2008

I dropped by the Shu Uemura counter today to pick up the Mystifier eyeshadow duo (S$58). After swatching all three duos, I was initially tempted to get all of them as the shades all looked gorgeous with impressive colour pay-off and a very fine micro-shimmer. The cream texture was non-greasy and dried down fairly quickly.

But I eventually decided to get only Mystifier as it was the most unique duo for me from this collection and more likely to work well with my skintone than the purple or light olive shades in the other duos. When applied, the blackened emerald cream eyeshadow showed up as a smokey mysterious dark green with visible flashes of sparkle. I think it would make a great liner shade or used all over the lid for an intense smokey look. According to the Shu SA, the model in the ad visual is wearing the cream eyeshadow all over the upper lid and along the lower lashline with the golden powder eyeshadow applied on the middle of the upper lid. The powder eyeshadow in the duo is listed as Pressed Eye Shadow MF2 but my guess is that it is ME Gold 350, while ME Brown 850 is in the Mesmerizer duo and ME Brown 855 is in Tantalizer.

It is quite difficult to capture how the shades look like in real life but I gave it my best shot and tried to shoot it from various angles so that you can see the shimmer in the dark green shade.